Ahead of the tabling of the budget, the Quebec Union of Municipalities (UMQ) is asking Quebec to make homelessness a national priority, with sufficient funding to support it.
In a press release issued Wednesday, the UMQ said the situation of homeless people “continues to deteriorate throughout Quebec.”
It is calling for homelessness to be made a national priority, “supported by predictable, recurring investments that are commensurate with the needs for the next five years.”
It also calls for predictable funding for both municipalities and community organizations that take care of homeless people, and for data on homelessness to be collected and updated, and for interventions to follow accordingly.
“The next budget will be the last of the Legault government. This is its chance to give itself the means to reverse the trend in homelessness by allocating budgets that meet the needs observed throughout Quebec. Without impetus from the top of the state, the increase in the number of homeless people on our streets will continue,” said Bruno Marchand, president of the UMQ’s homelessness committee and mayor of Quebec City.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
